Maple Leafs Apologize For Sucking

After missing the playoffs yet again, the organization released this public apology to their fans.

There are plenty of terrible teams out there in every sport, teams that seem to never even get a sniff at post-season play. Some cities might have one, while others are constantly frustrated by all of their majors franchises – yes, we’re talking about you, Cleveland! But how often do teams actually apologize to their fan base for the lack of effort or consistency during the regular season?

Well last week, the Toronto Maple Leafs were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet again and since the Florida Panthers earned a playoff spot, Toronto is now the only NHL franchise to fail to earn a postseason berth since the lockout. The Winnipeg Jets don’t count, since we said franchise, and the Jets organization made the playoffs as the Atlanta Thrashers in 2007.

But Leafs fans have been – pardon the pun – pining for a playoff berth, let alone a Stanley Cup since 2004 after being knocked out in dramatic fashion by the Philadelphia Flyers. Since that season, the Leafs have failed to finish better than third in the Northeast Division and have gone through three GMs.

The Leafs’ management understands just what the team means to the city of Toronto and its fans, so earlier this week the team publicly acknowledged the failure that was the 2011-12 season and even gave an apology. In the letter the ownership of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment stated:

“We take full responsibility for how this team performs on the ice, and we make no excuses. The way this year ended is unacceptable… We are 100% committed to ensuring we ice a team that competes with the NHL’s best.”

It would still seem as though the Leafs are confident that a new GM will be able to make strides towards building a winner with much of the components the team has now. But from the looks of it, there just might several of these letters in the team’s not too distant future.

What other dreadful sports teams do you think should start apologizing to their fan base? At this point, the Washington Redskins should bypass apologizing and simply go right to giving out free season tickets to a great many of their fans.